Emails are sent by luxury accommodation providers to guests who have already booked and to wedding couples who have set dates at their venues, reports Independent.
However, the bank details provided are not associated with hotels
The emails are hard to identify as they appear to come from hotel email addresses
Scammers from companies contacted people to encourage them to share personal and financial information.
Ireland’s leading hospitality group has warned that falling victim to the scam will result in significant financial losses and is now putting in place security measures to prevent people from getting caught.
In an email to customers yesterday, the group said: “We have been advised by our hotel industry colleagues that a new scam targeting potential hotel guests and bridal couples has surfaced. We wish to advise, therefore, to be vigilant of all email requests for deposits. The scam is that an email, purporting to be from the hotel, is being sent to guests requesting deposits to be paid to a specified bank account. The details provided are not the hotel’s bank account but are instead, the bank account details of the scammer. In an effort to protect our guests, we ask going forward, if you wish to pay by bank transfer, that you advise us of this and we will forward our bank details to you. However, to further increase security, the last four digits of the IBAN will be redacted. You must therefore contact the hotel to obtain the last four digits,” reports Independent.
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